Of Swimming and Silliness
by alrightamanda
Summary: It was hard for Anakin to believe that Luke and Leia's third life day was here already. As the family gathers on Naboo to celebrate, Anakin and Obi-Wan keep the twins entertained by taking them swimming on the lake.
_Okay so this is the first thing I've written in six months and it's happy and cute and I really like it so tell me what you think!_

 _Enjoy!_

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It's not that Anakin doesn't like swimming.

In fact, once he's out in the water, he finds it rather soothing.

But his inner Tatooine slave boy still freaks out about _that much water_ being in one place.

It's unnatural. Disturbing, even. But Padme loves to swim and Obi-Wan insisted Anakin learn when he first became a Padawan, so by now the activity is practically second nature to him.

Since his children have grown up on Coruscant and Naboo, it would stand to reason that Luke and Leia would take after their mother and love all water activities.

The beach at Varykino is beautiful this time of year. Then again, everything seems more magical around the twins' life day.

"They're three Ani, can you believe it?" was the first thing Padme had said that morning. Truthfully, it was hard to believe that three full years had passed since the births of their precious children. Three years since Palpatine's death. Three years since he almost lost everything to the darkness in his soul.

Anakin didn't know what made him stop at his wife's apartment in his way to the Senate building that fateful day, but he thanks the Force everyday that he did.

When he saw his wife standing there, the sunset highlighting her beauty, something in him cracked, and everything he had been bottling up, everything he had been keeping from her, came spilling out.

He confessed how he killed Dooku in cold blood, about how much his nightmares about her dying truly terrified him, about his fear of Obi-Wan finding out about all his lies and rejecting him, about Palpatine being the Sith Master the Jedi had been looking for, about what he had been on his way to do.

She held him as he sobbed onto her shoulder, stroking his unruly curls, allowing him to release everything that was weighing down his soul. He told her how much he loved her and how afraid he was that he was going to lose her; either to childbirth or simply because he wasn't good enough for her.

When his sobs had finally subsided, the two of them spent the night talking through everything that had been swept under the rug.

And in the morning Anakin commed Obi-Wan and asked if they could talk when Obi-Wan got back to Coruscant.

The ensuing conversation went better than expected, and when Anakin finally approached the Council about his infractions, Obi-Wan stood with him in support of Anakin's attachments.

The following months were filled with turmoil as the Council investigated the corruption in the Senate and reviewed the Jedi Code.

And when Padme finally gave birth to their beautiful twins, Jedi Master Anakin Skywalker was the first person to hold the babies.

"Daddy!" His daughter's sudden scream jolted Anakin out of his musings and back to the matter at hand.

He and Obi-Wan were playing with Luke and Leia while Padme and her mother decorated for the twins' life day party tonight.

It's not that Anakin doesn't like swimming, it's just that there are so many other activities they could be do that don't allow for sand to be in places no one should ever have sand in.

But there was anything that could pull him from his brooding it was his daughter's distress.

"What is it princess?" Anakin called from farther out in the lake.

"Luke threw sand in my hair and it got in my swimmy suit!"

Anakin quickly looked over to his son, who was a little too far away to throw said sand, but that distance never stopped either of them before.

"Luke?" he called, "Did you throw sand at Leia?"

His son's quickly covered look of guilt said it all. Anakin sighed, "Listen you two, we talked about this: we don't throw things at one another and we especially don't use the Force to throw things. Now say your sorry."

Luke's mumbled reply was barely heard over the soft waves on the lake's shore, but it would have to do for now because Leia had decided that she wasn't interested in her brother's apology anymore and was quickly trying to swim out to Anakin.

His moment of panic at seeing his daughter's struggle to reach him was put at ease when another pair of strong arms grabbed the toddler around her middle, "And just where do you think you're going, missy?" Obi-Wan questioned while trying to maintain his grip on the squirming girl.

"Gonna swimmy with Daddy 'acourse!"

"Oh, of course," replied the older Jedi with a smirk, "Silly me."

"Unca' Obi! Do you wanna swimmy with me to Daddy?"

Obi-Wan made a show of giving the question some thought before agreeing that swimming together would be lovely.

Anakin was trying his best not to laugh at the sight of his former Master being splashed in the face from Leia's kicks as he helped her swim towards her father.

Leia hugged her father around his neck when she finally reached him, "Hi Daddy!" she practically screamed after kissing his cheek, "I did it! I swimmied all the way to you! Did you see me? Did you? I swimmied all by myself! Well, Unca' Obi helped a lil bit but I did it Daddy!"

Despite the ringing in his ears from Leia's shouts, Anakin couldn't help the grin that spread over his face at his daughter's excitement.

"Yes I did see, Princess! You _swam_ very well. Did you thank Uncle Obi for helping you?"

Leia quickly turned to the other man, "Thank you Unca' Obi!"

"My pleasure, Leia," her honorary Uncle responded with a grin.

"Daddy it was really far an' my feet can't feel the bottom an' I gots'd some water in my eye an' it hurted but I'm all better now!"

Anakin was used to the twins' rapid-fire way of speaking and quickly asked if he needed to 'kiss it better' as was their routine when one of the twins was hurt.

"No, Daddy it's all better!"

"Are you sure?" Anakin countered with a look of utmost concern, "Because I can always kiss it better here! Or here! Or here!"

The sound of shrieks and giggles filled the air as Leia tried to twist away from Anakin's kisses peppering her small face, "Daddy don't be silly!"

"I have never been silly!" Anakin responded with such an affronted look that Obi-Wan couldn't help but snort.

"Oh yes, Anakin. Shall we recall all of the times you've 'never been silly'?" the older Jedi interjected, "Perhaps we can call Padme and your mother-in-law down and see if they want to hear about every time you were 'never silly'."

"Now Uncle Obi is being silly, isn't he Leia?"

A consummate daddy's girl, Leia quickly agreed with her father, "Yeah! Stop being so silly Unca' Obi!"

"Well that's me told," Obi-Wan laughed, "Perhaps it's time to gather Luke and check on how things are progressing indoors."

"Agreed, Master. I'm getting cold in this water."

"You're always cold, Anakin."

"Maybe. But I'll be warmer out of the water and in the sun, that's for sure."

The trio made their way back to shore and quickly convinced Luke it was time to clean up and head inside to see Mommy.

The prospect of seeing their mother sent the twins running up the steps of the villa as fast as their little legs could carry them, leaving Anakin and Obi-Wan to clean up the toys and towels.

"I can't believe they're three," Obi-Wan commented, almost wistfully.

"Time flies when you're having fun and all that," Anakin countered with a soft smile.

"That it does, my young Padawan, that it does."


End file.
